Love on Tour
by EK
Summary: Oneshot. Yes, Virginia, EK can write an AM story. Ever wonder about the social life of a tour guide? This is one way of looking at it.....


Hi! This is my peace offering to several kind reviewers who I took along for a weird journey in White and Black, to disappoint them in the end. Hard to believe as it may be, this is my first solid A/M one-shot. My beloved snow prince is out on a holiday. Hope I get it right, and hope you enjoy.  
  
Dedicated to CardMistressSakura and sapphi-chan, and all who voted black.  
  
..........  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our tour this morning. I am Misao, and I will be your guide for this trip. The tour will last at least two hours....."  
  
It was the same every day. The bright and cheerful young lady clocked in at 7 am, went to the staff room, and took on the uniform of official tour guide. Rather gaudy, with its happy red shirt, khaki pants, and a visor unabashedly flaunting the tour. But this was part of the job, a job she was grateful to have in these tough times, a job she liked on most days.  
  
Just not this one.  
  
On this particular day, Misao wore a grumpy frown as she mashed in her time card into the clock. She was not supposed to be at work today. She had filed for a day off two weeks in advance. Unfortunately, the managers requested-forced is a better word-all tour guides to be available. It was a new non-working holiday, and they needed every man on hand for the rush of visitors.  
  
The extra pay for working on a day off was not the point. It was her birthday today, and she felt that she needed a well-deserved time out, time to sleep in, time to go to the mall, time to be with herself for once! Now, she could not do any of those things, and worse, she had a full load ahead of her. It was going to be a long and tiring day.  
  
She angrily fumbled with the vending machine, grabbed for a soda, and flopped onto an empty table in the staff lounge.  
  
"Problem, Misao?"  
  
So he had noticed. The man of ice had noticed.  
  
He held a little tray with a cup and saucer, and stood near her at the table.  
  
But she was not about to look for sympathy from her partner, the driver of her tour car. Just like a man to think he understands what a woman goes through. She was strong, she was invincible, she was a woman, and she did not need sympathy!  
  
"Suit yourself," he shrugged, then moved on to the next table.  
  
Misao had to smile a bit, as she looked at her partner. Aoshi, by name. It suited him to be a driver. He only had to quietly run the route, as she did all the talking. He himself only spoke when absolutely necessary. He did not volunteer information about himself. So all that she knew about him, she had gleaned from watching him at work.  
  
For example, she knew that his favorite drink was tea. Hot tea, either brewed or from a teabag, with no sugar. She knew he liked being alone with his thoughts. She knew he liked being exactly on time. She knew that he liked the slightly breezy sunny days best. And many other little bits and pieces.  
  
She was intrigued by the man, a few years older than she, but only one year her senior in the tour assignment. He had features to die for, if people cared to notice. Smooth dark hair, chiseled nose, almond eyes, serious mouth, and beautiful physique. It seemed like he never wanted people to notice, though. He kept himself hidden behind the wheel, and his back always to the passengers.  
  
"Enough ogling," he suddenly snapped her out of her thoughts. He had finished his tea, and stood near her again. "We have to get going."  
  
"Huh? Oh, sure, Aoshi, coming," she replied absentmindedly.  
  
"Over to your right, ladies and gentlemen, we have the world-famous Beverly Hills Hotel. The hotel has seen many of Hollywood's celebrities over the years, including......"  
  
Fortunately, everything she had to say was already scripted and memorized. She could recite her tour in her sleep. It was good, because right now she did not almost notice any of the buildings she described. She was not in the mood to add quips in her dialogue, to liven things up. She did not want to smile a happy smile at the eager tourists, but she had to keep wearing the mask.  
  
Every once in a while, she peered at her car's able driver. Some guy, she mused. Surely, he had bad days and good days, too. Surely, there were days when he hated the plain and simple boredom of their job. However, he did not show them to her. If only she could do that, too. People knew when she was under the weather, even when she grinned, gritted her teeth, and bore it. Definitely, people knew when she was having a bad day. Kicks to the vending machines were solid evidence.  
  
They stopped for lunch after their second run. She further punished herself for having a bad day. She bought the cheapest sandwich and a coke, and that was lunch. Stupid birthday luncheon. Which she sulkingly munched and drank, at the front seat of their tour car. It had been a hard morning. A little girl insisted on crying throughout her speech about why Hollywoodland became Hollywood. Two rowdy tourists kept disturbing the others on the next run. It took a lot out of her, not to scream and cry out her misfortune.  
  
A few minutes passed, when she saw Aoshi walk to the car, armed with some iced coffee and a sandwich. He opened his door, and sat beside her on his seat.  
  
"No, I still don't need your sympathy," she pouted at him, and took a big bite out of the sandwich. "I'm not mad at you."  
  
He silently passed the iced coffee to her. It was a rather ordinary thing he did, buy her coffee out of his own pocket, at least once a week, often every other day, so she took it without a glance.  
  
She was astounded, however, after she took a sip. This was her favorite kind of iced coffee, cappuccino blended with vanilla and topped with a good dollop of cream. And, it was one of the high-end iced coffees. This was the first time she did not get that herself.  
  
"I...um......thanks, Aoshi," she smiled at him, but he intently gazed out at the street as he ate his sandwich.  
  
Something was definitely wrong with him today. He was being extra nice to her, when formerly he only treated her like any other female co-worker. She would return the favor, somehow.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen," she greeted the fourth and final tour group for the day, "welcome to our tour this afternoon." She gestured to the driver's seat. "This is Aoshi, your driver for this afternoon---turn and face a while, will you please? Thanks- -- He's a nice guy, and a very good driver. We hope you enjoy the two-hour tour...."  
  
"Why are you doing this, Misao?" he asked.  
  
She addressed the passengers, instead. "I'm doing this to Aoshi 'coz drivers rarely get noticed on a tour, right? He deserves a little credit for keeping us all safe. Round of applause, please?" She beamed at him, as claps were given. He merely shrugged, and moved to second gear.  
  
Another hard route. It had rained a bit over the afternoon, and it affected the tourists as well as the tour guide. She and the driver had to go through the extra trouble of closing five pairs of windows. The passengers were all rather irritable, and kept asking when they would get back. It took his understanding pat on her shoulder to keep her from shouting at the passengers altogether.  
  
"Thank you for taking our tour around Hollywood and Beverly Hills. We hope you enjoy your stay in LA!"  
  
By the time the tour had ended, and the last tourist was off the car, Misao was back to her sulking. The sun was disappearing over the hills. Soon the malls would all be closed. She would have her day off tomorrow or the next day, but it won't be same as having it today, on her birthday.  
  
She sadly took off her uniform and returned to her regular clothes. She then punched her locker. "Life is cruel," she convinced herself as she walked out the staff rooms.  
  
"Misao," a familiar voice stopped her at the door. Her tall and stoic partner.  
  
She exploded all her pent-up disappointment on him, poor fellow. "I'm not looking for sympathy from you! I don't know why you're being so nice, but I don't need it! It's not your problem why I'm having a bad day, why people have to be so annoying, why I have to spend my birthday like any other day in my life!"  
  
All the same, as she pounded her fists at his waist, she found his presence consoling. He was the only person who knew how hard a day it had been, even if he did not understand why this day was even harder for her. He listened to her wails and endured her poundings silently, like a quiet shock absorber.  
  
When the tirade ended, she heaved a sigh of relief, and looked into his eyes. "Sorry 'bout that, Aoshi. I guess I need a shoulder to cry on, after all," she smiled.  
  
His face did not change appearance, but he took out something from his small backpack. It was wrapped in pink tissue, and tied with a red ribbon in the middle. He handed it to her wordlessly. Intrigued, she pulled out the ribbon and unwrapped the little parcel.  
  
But it was the dress of her dreams!  
  
A beautiful dark green evening dress, which complimented her eyes and hair as well as her figure. It fell to slightly below her knees, and dipped to show enough of her cleavage to be alluring. It was perfectly her size.  
  
She had planned and saved for weeks to buy it. She recalled that she had left behind the catalogue with her dream dress in the staff lounge a week ago. She and a few other co-workers were poring over it one day, and they all agreed that the green dress was the best one for her. Now she was seeing it and feeling it in her hands. It must have cost him a pretty penny to get it. A lot of pretty pennies.  
  
"I did not forget," he said simply. He also took out a reservation for a table in one of the classier restaurants in Beverly Hills. "Happy birthday."  
  
Of all the many times she had dreamed about him, and wished that he would notice her, did he have the same thoughts? Your partner does not simply get you an expensive dress, unless...unless....he liked you, even just a little.  
  
She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss to a cheek.  
  
"You're one of a kind, Aoshi!"  
  
"So are you," he replied.  
........  
  
Unfortunately, I personally haven't taken that Hollywood tour, so forgive the vagueness. I have been to Universal Studios and Disneyland, though, and I have a good idea of how those tour things go. ^^  
  
Enishi will continue to be one of the gentlemen I like best. I like his overall personality more, for some weird reason. However, I do understand what some of you folks go nuts about and see in Aoshi-sama. ^^ Thanks for reading. 


End file.
